Lost Hope
by Chibikawa
Summary: What if Heroes hadn't ended the way it should've? What if something went wrong? 4 years after the battle with Nahatomb, this is the outcome. Heroes Universe, obviously. Rated T for all that stuff you love. Narrated by Guntz, mostly. Chapter 4 up.
1. Prologue: Who Cares?

**Lost Hope**

**Disclaimer: Yo no concedo Namco o Klonoa ****personalidades. c:**

**A/N: Kill me for an uncreative title. XC **

**Well, this idea's been hovering in my mind for a while and I've been dying to start something new. I'm sure by now you realize I rather like writing in narrations by Guntz. His character makes it feel like a free-style to me while easily sticking to his regular personality. This will be the first time I'm writing a whole story mostly in narration, considering that there might be the occasional "this is happening elsewhere so it's in normal POV" scenes. **

**The description is vague because I don't want to spoil anything. This is basically a "what if" scenario. What if… what? You'll just have to wait and see! :D**

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**Prologue: Who Cares?**

This world… This world used to be so peaceful.

It's hard to imagine now. Who knew four years could do so much? This whole world has been completely swallowed up by darkness. And at this very moment it's still being eaten away. It's being chewed up until soon there'll nothing left. That will happened; sooner or later. This world can't survive like this much longer.

To believe that this hell hole used to be so tranquil, so peace-loving, so beautiful. At least, parts of it were. All worlds have some evil in them, but that just keeps the balance between good and bad. But now what? The scale flipped, causing good to be thrown off and bad to take over.

I remember the sun, and the grass, and the birds in the sky. There is no more of that now. It's always night here; it's always dark. Not a single star can be seen in the sky. It's as if a black shell has incased us, shielding us from view of the normal sky. With no sun, there's no warmth, no plants.

There are no more animals, no more rivers. Even the oceans have dried up. We're forced to drink this dark, suspicious liquid given to us by the new government. It's bitter and people say it makes you sick, but it's all we've got. You get used to it after a while… You get used to everything after a while.

Most people have gotten used to this new, harsh lifestyle. They've adapted to its merciless, unfair ways. But some still resist. Some still try to make things back to the way they were. Don't they realize their efforts are useless? That they're wasting their time and their lives? People who resist only die quicker and more painfully. No one can fix this. Nothing will ever be the same again.

I resisted at first. I tried in vain to reject this lifestyle. But it's hopeless. I've long since given up. Who cares, anyway? They should just give up and accept the truth. I did. I don't care anymore. I don't care about anything anymore. I'm just living my life, not caring if I die today or tomorrow… Maybe dying would be better? The rate of suicides has increased exceptionally since four years ago. I don't blame them. This life sucks.

Lately epidemics have been spreading. The "sleeping sickness" is the most common. It has plenty of names, but they all mean the same thing. It's hard to say that such a disease is contagious. But they say you never wake up from it. You might as well be dead. But perhaps those people are dreaming peaceful dreams, completely unaware of the torture happening in reality? Or maybe they're trapped in nightmares, caught in a never-ending horror film?

They also say you don't age when you're caught in the sleeping sickness. It must suck to wake up to find that four years have past, having left you behind—letting everyone around you age without you. That's saying if anyone ever wakes up from the disease. As far as I know, no one ever has.

How this world got like this? I can't help but believe it's my fault. No… it _is_ my fault. It's entirely all my fault. I'm to blame for this hell of a life. Because of my carelessness and stupidity—!

…I wonder how Pango is…? I haven't seen him in four years. It goes without saying that his son is probably still caught in the sleeping sickness. I wonder if he's changed at all? I wonder… if he's even still alive…?

I've changed. I've changed for the worse. I was bad before, but now I'm even worse. I'm incurable now. But I suppose that's all my fault, too. I'm not going to try and fix myself. I'll keep my distance from other people. I won't get close to anyone. I won't express any emotions. Because I just… don't care anymore.

I'm 21 now. I was 17 when Nahatomb first took over. When that beast shrouded this once peaceful world in shadows. When he tortured us, stripping us of our homes and resources and telling us to strive for ourselves. When he created an indifferent government. A government that turns away from its people's pleads. That throws us a worthless bone and tells us to make use of it and stop complaining.

Their attitude rubbed off on the people. Crimes started up at an astounding rate, from both desperation and hopelessness. We're starving. We're forced to murder our neighbors to live. But we'll all die soon, anyway. Why struggle? It's what Nahatomb wants. He wants to torture us for as long as he can before we all drop dead.

I'm always moving. I can't stay in one place for long, it's too dangerous. Everyone knows that. Yet some still try. Families, usually. They try to live in a home and defend it. But it'll just burn down eventually. Everyone's gone mad. Sometimes I see them killing each other for no reason. Because they've gotten so irritable and are so easily provoked to start a riot on one another.

Riots like these are often caused by resisting people trying to persuade others to join them in their rebellion. It angers them. Perhaps they're jealous? Jealous that these people still have hope that they've long lost. And so arguments start up, soon to turn violent and bloody.

But who cares? The government makes no attempt to stop this. Just is an ancient thing. There is no fair, no mercy, no pity. We're all going to die. We'll all kill each other as Nahatomb sits and watches, laughing. There's no more hope. It's lost, never to be found…

But who cares?

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I actually wrote this prologue a long time ago but was too lazy to rewrite it. Sue me. DX

Anyway... ehm, about _Legend of Rebirth_... I'm not sure if I'm dropping it or just taking a very extended break from it. It just came out too long and complicated. _I_ couldn't even keep up with it, let alone could I expect anyone else to. Oh well... Don't kill me!

I certainly plan to keep in much more control with this story. Hopefully that way I'll be able to give it a satisfying ending. Not sure how long it'll be, but I can tell you now it won't be that short(certainly not as long as LoR, though). Hope you stick with me until the end! :3


	2. Chapter 1: Endurance

**Disclaimer: **Yo no concedo Namco o Klonoa personalidades. c:

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**Chapter 1: Endurance**

"Shinigami!"

I knew just who they were referring to, but that didn't mean I was about to stop. They grew impatient quickly. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" I still didn't respond, continuing my indifferent walk down the dark alley. The sudden, deafening fire of a gun behind me shot past inches from my ear. A bullet struck into the brick wall ahead of me. "Ignore me again and I'll kill you!" With an exasperated sigh, I stopped and turned around.

I really didn't need to look to see that I was outnumbered. I could tell by their poorly disguised footsteps as they followed me to a secluded area that there were three of them. Each one heavy with overstocked firearms. The one that was screaming at me was standing a step ahead of the other two.

He wore on his face the same arrogant grin I'd seen on just about every clueless adversary I'd faced. He held out a pistol in front of him, a thin line of smoke emitting from the barrel. I frowned in disapproval mostly at the wasted bullet, but also at the waste of time and energy this was going to cost me.

"Do tell, Shinigami. Are you enjoying this Hell you've wrought upon us? All of this death that consumes our world?" The front man tilted his gun horizontally as he spoke. This wasn't the first time my title had been mocked to take the blame. Everyone was looking for someone else to put the fault on for this. But in all honestly they had no idea how right they were.

But I decided to play along, anyway. "It keeps me entertained," I replied with a sadistic grin. He didn't like my answer, the fury building in his face quite quickly. Anger was too easy to come by nowadays. I knew it wouldn't be long before some noise was to be made. "I'm gonna make you eat those words," the man growled. "Funny. I was just thinking the same thing about you," I replied calmly.

That blew him up. I was pretty sure that he was mostly getting angry over the fact that I wasn't afraid of him. There he was pointing at gun point-blank at my head, and all I could stand to do was rebuke everything he said. That, and the easily snapped short-temperament most everyone seemed to have now on this planet.

I really didn't care if he pulled the trigger on me. Part of me actually _wanted_ him to. What was worse; continuing to live this life, or receiving a bullet to my head? I really couldn't say. But he never pulled the trigger. Instead he came charging at me with a furious war-cry, a dagger suddenly in his other hand. He held it up high, ready to stab it into my chest.

It wasn't hard to dodge his first blow. He was about a whole head shorter than me and not as fast as he seemed to want to be. I guessed by his sluggish movements that he probably hadn't slept or eaten much in a while. I grew tired of this child's play and threw him a punch to the face as he was staggering to regain his balance—after thrusting his dagger at empty air. His pistol clattered to the ground as he lost his grip on t.

It was as he was staggering back in recoil that his two partners decided to join the fight. As one distracted me from the front, another managed to jump me from the back. I subconscious reached for my own dagger at my belt and thrust it behind me. I felt it break skin and the man behind me released his grip with a painful grunt. He fell hard on the ground, blood oozing from a wound on his leg.

One down; but there were still two left. The one I had punched was back up and ready for more. They faced me on opposite sides, bodies tense and ready for someone to make the first move. They didn't look as confident as they had moments before. I decided to give negotiation a chance.

"Now, let's be sensible men. Is this all really necessary?" I tried to give the appearance of relaxation, for I knew letting my guard down at any moment could mean death. Such a use of words in this time of age would have probably sent anyone into a bitter laughter, but these people were in no mood for jokes.

"Sensible? You must be kidding. Words like that don't exist anymore," the first one snorted. I noticed him slowly reaching down toward his belt. "I'm just trying to spare you the medical treatment. It's not cheap, as I'm sure you know," I replied calmly. "Don't talk tough, if you're scared. Maybe we'll spare your life if you give us all your money and valuables," the man sneered.

I frowned. As expected, negotiation was a foreign language nowadays. I was wasting my time. "I don't think so," I scowled lowly. The man chuckled for a moment as his hand found what he was looking for at his belt. "Then die!" He yelled out as he thrust another gun out in front of him. But I was already moving before he even managed to pull the trigger. He wasn't quick enough to realize his target had shifted and wound up shooting his partner behind me in the shoulder.

I took the moment of shock and confusion to narrow in on the man. He immediately released his gun with a painful cry as my dagger met his right shoulder. I took the moment of closeness to give him a little message. "Next time you want to waste someone's time make sure you've at least got something to give to apologize for it."

He dropped to the ground as I forcefully pulled my dagger out of his body. "Besides your own blood," I finished. I felt his eyes on me as I continued my way down the alleyway, as I had been before I was so rudely interrupted. "W-What…" He struggled for his voice. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

I didn't stop as he continued to yell. "You're supposed to finish the job! Where are you going?! Don't just leave us here alive! Come back here and kill us!" I thought I heard his voice break slightly at the end. I had to suppress a sigh. Some people honestly only picked fights to get themselves killed—that way they wouldn't have to do it themselves. It was pitiful, really. But it wasn't like I could say I wasn't the same way half the time.

It was finally quiet when I reached the road again. Only a very few people were up and about. It was night, last I checked. Though I was impossible to tell the natural way here. The sky was always black. It was always dark. But somehow we still managed to keep the natural "sleep by night, wake by day" order of life.

The only thing that told us what time of day it was was a huge clock tower that stood in the middle of Volk city. I could barely see it from where I was. I was pretty close to the outskirts of the city. It was usually calmer out here. Most home burnings and murders were taking place more towards the middle of this kingdom.

That was because out here had already been taken care of. Charred homes and collapsed buildings lined the roads. Only the poor people who preferred safety over quality stayed here. The people here died of starvation and disease more than homicide—as it was vice versa central city.

Unfortunately I'd have to go there soon. Central city was the only place where shops still existed and I was running low on supplies. That was the only reason I hadn't used my own guns back during that fight. I needed to save what little ammo I had for real emergencies. It'd been a while since I'd really eaten anything, as well. Hunger meant little energy; little energy meant vulnerability; vulnerability meant death.

Fortunately water was always available in this city. Though to call it "water" or "fortunate" really wasn't suitable. It was really the only thing the government offered us—poured in old wells posted at every corner. And yet I'd have rather drank mud. But the fact that it kept us from dehydration and no one—as far as I knew—had died from it meant that we'd just have to suck it up and endure its horrid taste.

I walked aimlessly down the cracked, broken roads as I thought about the route I'd take to get through the central city the fastest with the least interruptions. The only good thing was that I blended well in there. Most of the madmen out there looked for poor women or scrawny men. Sure, I was dirty and in desperate need of a change of clothes, but I was tall and well-built despite the conditions.

People told me I had a deadly look in my eyes and the way I walked was of dignity and constant defiance. But I would have never proclaimed myself like that. Personality I just felt downright tired and defeated. So maybe it was just a habit I had developed over my years as an infamous bounty hunter.

But the point was I looked like a thug. And I even had battle scars as further conviction. My right ear was badly torn. Half of it hung over limply in shreds. I had two long, ugly scars across my muzzle. And I wouldn't even begin describing the ones that marked the rest of my body. Such an appearance was only good for scaring off troublemakers.

Only the extremely confident or stupid would pick a fight with me. Unfortunately there were a lot of people like that around here. So no matter what approach I made, I was surely to be challenged several times. That was why I needed a restock now. As little as I cared for death itself, some unbested natural instinct wouldn't allow it could come so close if I could help it.

My walk was cut off as two children ran past me. They were laughing and playing, completely oblivious to the horror that was life. I tried not to look at them; at their rags for clothing, their skinny bodies, their dirty faces. I tried not to feel bad for them. I tried not to think about how many times they needed to skip dinner, how cold they were at night, how many times their mothers cried.

These sorts of feelings weren't allowed anymore. It wasn't normal. No one family felt bad for another family; no one person pitied another. It was a dog eat dog world. Every man for himself. I knew that. So then why did I still feel this way whenever I looked at a poor, suffering family? Why did I even sometimes find myself sometimes giving up things I need to help another?

I wasn't a benevolent person. It wasn't right for me to be this way. Kind people died early. But I was still alive. I didn't understand it. Why only when the world turned to darkness did I find a sympathy in me I had never seen before? My whole life had been in darkness. Now the whole world had joined the club of suffering. I had no reason to pity those that were going through what I had my whole life.

But I knew why I did. It was because just before all of this had happened I'd met him. His benevolence and thoughtfulness had obviously been contagious and rubbed off on me. Without even knowing it he'd affected me to such a degree… I didn't want to think about it anymore. That was 4 years ago. When was I going to suck it up and move on?

But it was hard to move on when there was nowhere to go. One of the children suddenly tripped and landed right in front of my feet. He looked up at me with his big innocent eyes, the first hint of uncertainly reaching them—as if ignoring me had made me less threatening. I dared not make any attempt to touch or help the boy. I knew what kind of reaction it would have.

It was then that a mother ran out of a small, unsteady hand-built home. She stopped at the edge of the road, urgently summoning her children over with a hushed voice. The child at my feet had yet to rise. I simply took a step back before slowly walking around him. It was unfortunate that we had to treat each other like unpredictable wild animals, watching each other carefully for any unexpected movements.

But to trust was a step too close to vulnerability and death. The woman watched me like a bird watching a cat. I didn't even look her way. When I was apparently a comfortable distance away, she raced to the boy and hurried her children inside, probably grateful that no tragedy had just taken place.

I didn't target families. I might have before, more than 4 years ago when I was a merciless bounty hunter only looking for rewards. But now there was no reward. These people were barely living off of the clothes on their backs. It would mean certain death for them if they were robbed. And since four years ago murder was something I avoided.

I used to love it. I used to love spilling their blood, watching them squirm, listening to their screams, seeing the fear in their eyes; all before they finally stopped moving and the silence of death took place. But now… I felt as though there was enough death going round without me adding to it. I no longer felt that sadistic, disgusting excitement that made me want to kill senselessly to no end.

But now, more than anything, somehow… I actually wanted to _help._ Some incorrigible part of me defied all reason and made me want to bring righteousness to this world of hate and suffering. But I had to resist it. I'd seen what happened to the few people that tried to bring hope and justice to this world. They're practically killed on sight as soon as they let their views known. It would be a troublesome thing I didn't feel like dealing with. I was working hard enough to survive rather bother trying to give people false hope even I didn't have.

Though I honestly didn't have it all that bad. I had all of my limbs and none of my senses were contorted. I'd seen people much worse off than I; surviving off of one leg or deaf ears. They had to work much harder to survive. No one would ever bother to show pity for their disadvantage in life. There was only one thing keeping me from having a complete advantage.

I was walking down a deserted road when the involuntary chill crept up my spine. My eyes blurred suddenly and my legs buckled. As soon as I fell to my knees I started retching. When that was over I got caught in a violent fit of coughing. When I finally calmed down I was completely out of breath. I stared down at the blood that had come out of me as my breathing finally slowed to a normal pace.

My health.

I slowly got to my shaky feet and wiped the blood from my lips. I was sick; with some disease I couldn't be bothered to name. It was really only a disadvantage to me when it interrupted me during a bad moment. And sometimes it made me have to stop and rest more often than I'd like. But I was managing to ignore it mostly for now.

I had more important things to worry about right now. My internal clock told me that morning was coming. Unlike the outskirts of Volk, central city was least active in the morning. My best chances of getting through the fastest with the least energy wastes would be to go in a few hours. When I was done I could find a place to stop and rest. I would plan the rest from there.

Central city could have probably passed for the most dangerous part of the world at the moment. Volk was always a dangerous place, even before the nightmares took over. But I grew up here. Even if this place had up'd in its danger level, it was like my backyard. I was confident I would get through this morning without any difficulties.

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Like the prologue but with much more detail and some dialogue and action and stuffs. It'll get more interesting eventually, but for now things need explaining. Sorry if it seems a little confusing for a while. It'll all be thoroughly explained soon enough... just not now. c:


	3. Chapter 2: Central Volk

**Disclaimer: **Yo no concedo Namco o Klonoa personalidades. c:

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**Chapter 2: Central Volk**

When I could see the clock tower standing tall and proud over central Volk it was about a quarter to six in the morning. The sun would've been coming up now if there was such a thing anymore. I had to stare longingly at the unfamiliar, black sky for a moment as I tried to remember what dawn looked like. But these thoughts were useless. I shook my head impatiently and moved on.

I was entering the most dangerous part of Volk now, a place I preferred to avoid if possible. I needed to quickly gather my supplies and leave this place before nightfall. Now was the time of day this place was least active. At night it was like a war zone. I would've taken my hoverbike to make this all go so much quicker, but it was near impossible to drive anything around here.

Debree from buildings old and new covered the roads like a rug. As I walked now I could see what remained of last night's episode of death. A few buildings afire were just starting to burn out and I even came across a few discarded bodies left over carelessly from shootings.

I had to look up at the clock tower and grimace. Of all the things this disgusting government could give us, they limited themselves to a useless clock and dirty water. If only there were civil patrols around here… Well, not even they'd be able to save this kingdom now. Mira-Mira was actually starting to look rather inviting compared to this disaster zone.

I found my first stop quickly. I came here about once a month, maybe later if possible, and always came to be surprised that familiar shops were still standing. Especially one such as this; the owner should've been thanking for his life every night. Even though the little shop looked as abandoned as everything else, I could see within through a large shattered window the shiny artillery and a short man slowly pacing around inside.

The door wasn't friendly and it took a hard shove to open it. The shopkeeper nearly jumped to the ceiling and took cover. "I no open now!" He declared in his thick accent. I had to sigh softly. This man really was lucky to still be alive. I leaned on the dusty countertop and place atop just the thing to get this man out of hiding.

"Just get me some ammo, would you?" The sound of coins clattering on the wood had the shopkeeper up in front of me in an instant. "Yes, sir, Mr. Shaineigamei, sir," he replied after quickly counting the loot. I grunted softly with a frown in disapproval at both the title and the mispronunciation. The short shopkeeper shuffled into another room as I was left to stare warily outside the window.

Outside of this shop was one of the most favorite spots for shooters to pick targets. And yet they never targeted the shopkeeper himself. Perhaps they knew that without this shop, all the ammo in this entire kingdom would be used up and wasted. It was good to know there was at least _some_ sense left in these murderers' minds.

"That sh'uld do." I was caught by surprise when I heard the small metal falling on top of the counter. It was natural for me to make sure everything was in fair condition and the shopkeeper seemed to take no offense by it. "Thanks," I said briefly, gather up my supplies and quickly heading for the door.

"You gonna get you'self killed, Mistah," the short man declared. I stopped at glanced at him. "I get people come here, say t'ey come back—never come back! T'ey all get killed!" And all of this he said with a carefree smile. "You soon, too. Everybody who buy guns and ammo from me get killed. You jus' asking for death by carryin' all t'at junk. Someone will come—shoot you down!"

He stopped talking for a while and I figured he was done. "Thanks for that," I replied unappreciatively. I took a step outside and added, "See you later."

"No you won't. You be dead next time you see me!"

I left the man to his hysterical laughter. I supposed living in constant fear in a place like this was bound to make some quite insane. I checked the pouch on my belt to see how much money I had left. Probably enough to buy me a week's worth of food if I conserved it every day carefully. There was one shop nearby where I could get the food I needed, saying it hadn't been burned down since I was last here.

We all used to live off of natural foods four years ago. Everything was grown in the soil or taken from animals. But that part of our lives was long gone. The soil was no longer rich enough to supply the nutrients needed to grow crops. That, and there was no rain nor proper water. And all of the animals had long since disappeared. Now we lived off of artificial foods.

I didn't know how it worked. The government was behind the manufacturing of the foods we were forced to eat. Synthetic fruits, breads, and meat weren't fun. They had the same unnatural taste that the water did. But it kept us alive. And there was always plenty in stock. So why were people still starving to death?

I knew that there was more than enough food to feed this entire kingdom and then some. But our typical, heartless "leader" wouldn't allow such happiness and peacefulness. He wanted to watch us suffer and die. He enjoyed watching us squirm. That was why this world was like this now. That was why we were all shrouded in darkness and suffering and hate.

That was it and nothing more.

Luck was on my side for the moment. The shop I'd been looking for was still standing. A few harmless, hungry citizens were there; some to buy and some to beg. I didn't want to be bothered by them. It really never gave me a good feeling in my gut whenever a poor man would ask me for money or food. I couldn't afford to feel sympathetic and give something away that I needed.

I quickly got what I needed and headed out. The food was fake, so even what was made to look like an apple wouldn't go bad after a week. I had the food stuffed in a bag I hung over my shoulder. I was hungry now, so I decided to quit being so paranoid and took out a small loaf of what they called "bread."

I was on my way back now and it wasn't even noon. I was making good time. At this rate I would get back without any interruptions at all. But Lady Luck never stuck around for that long. I hadn't even taken the first bite of my bread when I heard the sure signs of citizen abuse.

"Where're ya going? I was just sayin' 'hi'."

"Yeah. We just wanna see your cutie children."

I looked down the road to see the two thugs following a mother and her two children. She was going as fast as she could while urging her children to do the same, while the men were just walking at their own confident pace. I simply watched for a moment. There were times when I felt like getting involved and times when I didn't. I was just starting to turn away when a new voice rang out.

"Leave them alone!"

I looked again to see that a girl had appeared. She was standing in front of the small family protectively, facing the two men. She may have been wearing a long dark cloak that covered her whole body neck-down and big tough boots, but she was short and young—and clearly no match for these thugs. And yet there was a profound look of determination of her face. As if she actually thought her appearance was going to make a difference.

The men only hesitated for a moment, caught off guard by the girl's blunt demand. But they soon realized no tables had turned and continued their advance. I saw the girl's confidence falter as she stepped back with the family. They didn't even realize that they were about to be cornered in an alleyway.

I still hadn't moved, continuing to watch until I could no longer see the girl or the family from around the corner of they alley. I looked down at the still untouched bread in my hand and sighed disapprovingly at my annoying conscience.

"We're lucky you showed up, girly. More for us," one of the thugs chuckled as they narrowed in on the defenseless group. Astonishingly the girl still had the look of defiance on her face. "What good will it do you to hurt this family? They have nothing for you!" she snapped bravely. "Oh? And you do?" One of the thugs lifted a pistol in his hand and poked at a thick, neck-tight, golden necklace on the girl with the barrel.

"That's a pretty little thing." Instead of trembling at the gun's closeness, she threw herself back and gave the man a poisonous glare. "You can't have it," she declared sternly. "And who's gonna stop me? You?" The man grinned, getting closer. "Hey! Who the hell are you?!" The second one yelled as he turned around to finally see me standing at the only exit of the alleyway.

I said nothing, trying out my "death glare" that everyone was so fond of. The other thug also turned around, his face screwed up with annoyance at the disturbance. "Well? Say something!" The second man demanded, his grip tight on his gun. "What do you want me to say? 'Go pick on someone your own size'?" I asked lowly, frowning.

"You wanna mess with us, buddy?" the first thug asked. They seemed a bit agitated all of a sudden. Apparently they hadn't been expecting a challenge. I couldn't blame them. It wasn't natural for people to stick up for one another anymore. I still had my bread in one hand and I glanced behind the men inconspicuously.

The girl was staring at me with surprise and suspicion, as if she wasn't sure if I was really here to help. There was no place for her and the family to run off to without being spotted. With two armed thugs staring me down and defenseless citizens within shooting-range, I'd have to be picky about the way I handled this situation.

I tightened my grip on the bread and the men tensed, probably waiting for me to suddenly pull out some hidden weapon. Instead, in one swift movement, I tossed the bread into the air over their heads. The plan worked. The men were too nervous to realize that it was just a harmless loaf of bread being thrown at them and began shooting up at it. They watched it fly over their heads and land into the hands of one of the mother's children behind them.

By the time they'd started looking forward again I'd already made my next move. I ran in closer as they were looking away and managed to slap a pistol out of one of the men's hands. Unable to comprehend what had just happened soon enough, he didn't even attempt to dodge the high kick I threw up at him. He tumbled to the ground and didn't bother to get up very quickly.

The other thug who was still armed was a little quicker. Though his hands were shaky, a bullet that'd been aimed for my chest instead struck the center of my left shoulder. I gritted my teeth from the burning pain and turned on him. I only had to grab his wrists and slam him back against the nearest brick wall to get him to release his gun.

"C-C'mon, man. We—We weren't gonna hurt them. Honestly!" The man pleaded fearfully as I bared my fangs in his face. He was clearly confused about my motives and changed his approach. "They're all yours, man! We'll leave and you can do whatever you want to them." I snorted and released my grip, but not my tight glare.

"Get out of here," I growled deeply. They wasted no time heeding my demand and scampered off to the road. I turned around and saw my bread still in the clutches of the little boy. They were all looking at me, waiting for me to suddenly turn on them. I opened my mouth to speak, but the boy just held the bread tighter, as though his life depended on it.

I paused to think for a moment, sighed, and turned around. It wasn't until I'd reached the road when I heard the mother whisper brokenly, "By the love of Claire, we've been saved." I didn't look back as I turned the corner and continued on my way as though nothing had happened. But my aching shoulder told me differently.

I'd need medical treatment if I didn't want it to get infect and life-threatening. That was usually something I didn't like to admit. If my wounds weren't serious, I'd usually ignore them for the most part and give them the mediocre treatment that was easily available. But a bullet through my shoulder was just a bit more serious. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do about it.

"That was really nice of you, you know."

I stopped dead in my tracks and she almost bumped right into me. I looked behind me sharply to see the girl from before, who'd been attempting to protect the family. I was more surprised by how she'd snuck up on me so easily. I could've easily been killed if she was an enemy. She smiled up at me despite my look of surprise and displeasure.

I got a better look of her now that the situation was supposed to be calmer. Her fur was a chocolaty brown with lighter markings around her face. She had odd pink hair short on her head and in a tuff at the end of her long thin tail. Her ears were long and flopped behind her like a rabbit. She was probably about two heads shorter than me.

"What do you want?" I finally asked unkindly when she didn't leave. She cocked her head slightly, her smiling amber gaze unfazed. "Well, I guess I just wanted to say thank you," she replied simply. I gave a dismissive grunt and turned away, continuing onward. She followed me quickly.

"Wait! I haven't said thank you yet."

"Then say it!"

This time the girl did finally flinch as I turned on her again. I was getting quite a bit impatient. I had enough to worry about what I was going to do about my shoulder. Medical treatment was horrendously expensive in any of the small, dirty hospitals you may be lucky enough to find. Not only that, but the medicines and ointment given to them by the government didn't even work half the time.

I'd been lucky enough to avoid getting a wound as bad as this when the original medicines ran out and the price of treatment rose so high. In a bacteria-contaminated city like here, this hole in my shoulder was surely to get infect eventually and disable to the use of my whole left arm altogether. The last thing I needed to worry about was some annoying girl pestering me about something that caused this nuisance in the first place.

"Thank you…"

Her voice was much smaller now, though she was brave enough never to let go of my eyes. I snorted unappreciatively and showed my back to her again, hoping she'd changed her mind about what she said about me being nice. "Your shoulder is bleeding. We can help you with that, you know." Again I looked back at her, not sure what expression was on my face. I was surprised, confused, and suspicious all at once.

Whatever look was on my face gave the girl more confidence. She was smiling again, her voice louder. "We have a good stock on medical supplies right now. I'm sure it'd be fine, especially if I told them about what you did," she said. I considered this for a moment, still dubious and confused. "Who's 'we'?" I asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"Our band," the girl answered simply. I frowned at the vagueness. She hesitated for a moment, as if not sure if she should say something. "We're just a group… of kids. But we have a really safe and hidden base with lots of food and medicines!" The velocity of her words changed as she'd spoken. I didn't reply, naturally feeling that this was too convenient to be true.

This time it was the girl who turned her back on me. "Well, you won't last long with that shoulder, I'm sure. So I really think it'd be of your best interest to come with me to the base. But it's your choice," she suggested certainly, already starting to walk away. I didn't move, my foolish pride too arrogant to comply with her use of words.

She must've seen right through me, for she stopped when she saw I wasn't following and spun around, her long brown ears flying up behind her. She was smiling humorously, locking her hands behind her back and bending over slightly. "_Please_?" Now she was teasing me, but my common sense assured me that it would be stupid to reject her offer again. Besides, I could play her little game.

"_Fine_. You don't have to beg. I'm coming."

* * *

As old as he is, Guntz is still a teenager at heart. X3

I'm starting to realize how little is happening in each chapter. But I don't think I can write it any other way. If I rush it it'll lose its mood... and stuff... And I don't feel like making the chapters any longer. -.-

Oh, yeah; Happy Mother's Day! :D


	4. Chapter 3: The Base

**Disclaimer: **Yo no concedo Namco o Klonoa personalidades. c:

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Base**

"My name is Kyuui!"

"That's a weird name."

There was no one else around and it was unusually quiet. I was still in central Volk, though much closer to the outskirts now. Last time I'd looked at the clock tower it was three in the evening, and that was about an hour ago. I really didn't like staying here for this long. In a few hours this whole city would become that of a war zone. Thugs and gunmen would wake from their hiding places like nocturnal predators and have themselves a little killing spree amongst each other.

At times like those I stayed in the safety zone of Volk, at the outskirts. I had no interest in such things like death and murder; not anymore. At the moment I was walking through some unfamiliar roads with this annoying, talkative brown, pink haired bunny girl. I was supposed to be following her, but for most of the way I kept a step in front. I still wasn't content with the fact that I was about to accept help from another.

The girl slowed down a bit as she explained, "Well, it's not my real name. At least, it probably isn't. I got amnesia and—Hey! Where are you going?! Are you listening to me?"

Instead of slowing down to stay at pace with her, I'd sped up as she was speaking. "You're not walking fast enough," I complained, not looking at her. She caught up to me, glancing pensively at my bloody shoulder. "Does it hurt?" she asked, her voice lower. "Of course it hurts." My voice had a faint sharp edge to it. The pain was making me irritable.

"Well… we should be there in a short while." There was something about the way she'd said it that made me think she was lying. I was getting impatient and I let my aimless thoughts be heard. "This is pointless. I don't even know why I'm bothering with this," I grumbled childishly. "Because I have to return the favor. You helped me!" Kyuui replied quickly.

"No I didn't. I was just passing through when—"

"It looked to me like you came there on purpose."

I didn't reply. There was no point in arguing about this now. But this was what I got for defying the natural laws of order and helping people out; a bullet through my shoulder and an irritating little girl.

"I don't care what you say. I still think you're a nice guy for what you did. I've never even actually seen a nice adult before. Everyone at the base is convinced that all adults are heartless and cruel. But I knew that there had to be some nice people around. I mean, when there's a world filled with darkness, there's gotta be some light, right? Or else this everything would fall apart. I think—"

"Shut up."

I wasn't trying to be rude this time, though she could've been talking to herself for all I cared. I stopped short, listening. "I heard something." I kept my voice low, trying to give Kyuui the same hint. The road we were on at the moment was narrow, and the last alleyway we'd past between two tall, crumpling buildings was quite some distance behind us now. But there were plenty of places to hide. We practically had to hike across the debris of broken road and scattered building remains.

Kyuui was staring at me with interest and I was afraid she was going to speak again. "Be quiet," I shushed. She spoke anyway. "See? You're helping me again!"

"Did you hit your head when you got amnesia?!"

"So you _were_ listening!"

"Shut up! I'm not helping you. In case you didn't notice, you're idiocy is going to get _me _into trouble, as well. I'm only telling you to be quiet so that I can figure out what it was I heard for my own sake!"

I hated the way this girl wasn't easily intimidated. "Okay," she replied simply, completely at ease. We began walking on again in silence. I heard the distinctive noise of hushed footsteps behind us. "Someone's following us," I warned, convincing myself that I'd only said it aloud to make her stay quiet. "I know."

I had to stare at her with a stupid look. "What? How—?" She made a small smile, satisfied that she'd caught me off guard. "I heard them a while ago. There's probably about five of them. Big men… heavily loaded," she informed confidently. I hadn't even gotten to estimating how many were there, let alone if they had any weapons. I had to ask myself if this girl was just lying or if she was much more than she seemed.

Sure enough the latter was realized. Without warning five men suddenly jumped up into view from their scattered hiding placing. We were only partially surrounded before the men spread out a bit to face us on all sides. Each one had a pistol pointed toward us. I recognized two of them from earlier that morning. The one I'd kicked only had a bruise under his chin and I was suddenly wishing I'd given them more damage.

One of the thugs stepped forward, the appearance of a leader in both his posture and his voice. "So I heard you like helping people, eh?" he sneered at me in a gruff voice. He then looked at Kyuui, who held his gaze with impressive bravery. "What's this, bunny girl? Are you taking in adults now, too? I thought your little club had strict adult prohibition." She didn't reply, her expression stripped of all preference.

"What's the matter? You upset because we followed you to your little base? Now we're gonna storm the place and steal all your supplies!" the leader laughed hoarsely. There was only one thing missing from this man's plan, and he seemed to finally realize that as he looked around. "So where is it?" he asked, trying to make it sound more like a demand than a genuine question.

I thought I caught the ghost of a smile on Kyuui's lips. _Much_ more than she seemed. The gang leader was getting impatient as she stayed silent. "Bring me to it or I'll shoot you!" He threatened, lifting his gun toward her. She was unfazed. "That won't do you any help," she smiled easily. He seemed to understand what she meant.

"Then I'll just kill your friend here! He's the one who humiliated my men, anyway." I curled back my lips reproachfully as the gun was now aimed at me. This Kyuui did not seem to expect. She hesitated. I wasn't about to let myself be the damsel in distress in this situation and was about to tell her that I really didn't care if he shot me or not, but a sudden war-cry cut me off.

Before I or the thugs could even react, a bunch of shorter figures shot out from the surrounding ruined buildings and swarmed around us. They grabbed the men, throwing them to the ground and disarming them. They were easily outnumbered and overcome within moments. And then all of a sudden I too was jumped and tripped forward to the ground.

"Wait, he's with me," I heard Kyuui say calmly, a hint of humor in her voice. The people holding me down hesitated for a moment, as if unsure, before finally releasing me. I quickly got myself to my knees, almost falling over again at the sudden jolt of pain in my shoulder. I heard someone walk over quickly an stop beside the girl.

"Are you all right, Kyuui?"

It was a boy. I didn't even have to look to tell that he was young. I slowly got to my feet, looking around at the rest of the teenagers holding down the thugs in pairs. I suddenly felt foolish for doubting Kyuui's story about her "band of kids". I looked over at her inquisitively. She smiled and held up a black remote-looking object with several buttons and an antenna sticking out of the top.

"It's a transmitter. Everyone in our band has one. We press this little red button when we're stuck in an emergency."

I noticed the boy who had come over staring at me intently, but I didn't look at him just yet. Kyuui was ignoring him, as well. "I was purposely leading you away from the base when I first noticed them following us. Sorry, but it's still quite a ways away," she smiled apologetically. I was too reluctantly impressed to be annoyed by her misleading me.

"Why isn't he on the ground like the rest of them?" The boy finally spoke up rudely. I looked at him with a frown. He was quite shorter than me as well, naturally. But he stared up at me with potent defiance. I scowled and was about to tell him off before Kyuui stepped between us, facing the boy.

"Don't be rude, Yuji, this is my friend."

The word caused us both to twitch in surprise. The boy grimaced, his face tight with disapproval. "'Friend'? Are you insane, Kyuui?" he asked, glaring past her at me. "He's an adult," he spat, as though the word was a gross bug. Kyuui stayed innocent. "So? He helped me. Just because he's an adult doesn't give me the right not to return the favor."

The boy stared at her skeptically. But instead of asking for an explanation he gave me one last glare and turned away to face the rest of the group. "Come on! Let's get going. Make sure they're completely disarmed," he called, his voice strong with authority. The teenagers stood up, artillery filling their arms. They smiled at one another successfully, a few even laughing.

They wasted no time following the boy as he started leading the way down a narrow alleyway almost in the complete opposite direction we'd been heading. "Let's go," Kyuui invited, smiling up at me as she followed the kids in the back. I glanced over at the once proud thugs for a moment, who were just starting to recover from the ambush.

They moved slow with humiliation and defeated and I figured they were no longer a threat for now. I sighed quickly and followed after Kyuui into the dark alley.

--

"Welcome to our base!"

We'd been walking down the long, narrow, suspicious alleyway for quite some time now. It'd been very quiet the whole way, aside from a few kids whispering to one another, and I'd felt rather awkward following these teenagers to who knew where? The pain in my shoulder hadn't subsided for a minute. The blood stain was all over my already dirty and ripped jacket.

My internal clock told me it was probably about six now, much past the start of hell-time in this city. Yet our surroundings had been very quiet. I had to guess that we were somewhere deep in the city—hard to find and get to, where no one else went. It seemed out of nowhere when Kyuui finally stopped in front of me and spread out her arms, suddenly having the room to as the alley ended.

The buildings spread out sharply in a wide box-like formation, creating a large clearing where another short but very wide building sat. The surroundings were tight and damaged very little, looking much like a protective wall. Only a few more narrow alleys and broken windows revealed any other way back into the city.

The base itself looked more like a warehouse than anything else. The outer walls were obvious constructed upon for better protection and security. A few gadgets were scattered across the flat roof. I also couldn't help up notice the artillery hooked up there. I wouldn't let myself believe that these kids had created this thing all on their own.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Kyuui was asking. I watched as all the kids stopped and the boy from before stepped up to the door of the base. He pressed a button on a little machine to the right of the doorway and a voice from an intercom asked something I didn't catch. The boy kept his voice low deliberately, but I managed to hear his answer.

"Opstand."

There was a moment of silence before the sound of mechanical unlocking from the door was heard. The door then opened on its own with an electrical _whirr_. The boy stood to the side as the rest of the kids and all of their rewards entered. I saw the boy looked at us eerily as we stayed in place. "He's gonna want an explanation," Kyuui sighed.

I knew he would. Anyone with a common sense—let alone a base this secure—wouldn't want a stranger around without an explanation. Kyuui walked forward and I followed her slowly not before looking around once more. This was the kind of place I almost expected booby-traps to be planted. The boy had stepped in front of the door, as though I might suddenly run inside.

He opened his mouth as we got closer, but Kyuui cut him off. "This is Yuji. He's our leader," she explained. He glared at her disapprovingly. I didn't know why I was surprised that a kid would be leading a band of kids. He looked to be around 15, 16 maybe. He seemed to manage to keep his fur the pure white that it was despite all the dirt he probably went through on a daily bases. Random brownish-orange blotches marked his face and I guessed the rest of his body. His ears were short and fluffed in tuffs at the tips. His muzzle was only a bit shorter than that of a dog's and I was pretty sure those were two long tails I saw behind him. His tense green eyes never left my face.

"Explain this," Yuji said, his voice reluctantly controlled. "Well…" Kyuui bided her time as she looked for the right words to choose. Yuji twitched his ears impatiently. "You see, there was this lady and her kids… and she was being attacked by these big mean guys. So I tried to stop them. But it was only after I showed myself when I remembered I was out to pick up that thingy and hadn't brought anything to defend myself with me. So then this guy showed up and saved us."

"I didn't—"

"But he got hurt. So, as thanks, I invited him over to get treated."

Yuji said nothing for a moment as this all sunk it. "Obviously you were looking for something in return." I blinked in surprise as he looked at me again. This was the first time he had spoken to me directly. Though his discourteous tone of voice hadn't changed one bit. "Maybe I was," I frowned, returning the same amount of respect.

"Then why did you leave so quickly?" Kyuui asked genuinely. I didn't look at her, but my ear flicked in annoyance. If I could really get something out of this, it would be stupid of me not to take it. Before, I'd known that that small family would have nothing to give. I'd assumed the same for this girl. The thought of asking for more hadn't crossed my mind until now. But my foolish pride wouldn't allow me to say it out loud.

Yuji was still glaring at me and for a moment I thought he was about to turn me away anyway. "He saved my life, Yuji," Kyuui pointed out steadily. For the first time I saw him faltered, looking away to think. "You…" he started finally. "You can come in to get treated and… eat." Then his voice quickly regained power. "But I want you gone by morning."

"Aw, c'mon! Yu—"

"Fine."

I cut Kyuui off as she started to complain. "I'm only here to avoid a problem with my shoulder. I don't need anything else," I frowned. His reluctance was obvious, but somehow Yuji still managed to persist. "Well, you're _permitted_ to our food—But nothing else. I don't want to wake up in the morning to fine that our artillery vault has been assaulted," he added quickly.

"Artillery vault? I'll keep that in mind," I joked humorlessly.

Yuji curled his lips back angrily. "Don't worry, Yuji. I'll keep an eye on him," Kyuui assured, stepping forward with a smile. He seemed to relax slightly when he looked at her and sighed. "Please do," he said quietly before turning around to enter the base. His figured disappeared in an instant inside. There were no lights to show me what was beyond the door; and all of a sudden I wasn't so sure I wanted to go in anymore.

Kyuui suddenly grabbed my arm and I had to resist impulsively snatching it away. "C'mon! I'll show you to Ms. Claire!"

* * *

O sigh. I've been delaying... But I've been on vacation for a week so there's my excuse. I certainly haven't been working on this for a while... Not that it's popular enough to need a rush. (-.-)


	5. Chapter 4: Treatment

**Disclaimer: **Yo no concedo Namco o Klonoa personalidades. c:

* * *

**Chapter 4: Treatment**

I hadn't missed Kyuui putting a "Ms." in front of the name, but I was still caught off guard when I saw the grown woman. The brown furred, pink-haired rabbit girl had led me inside after their "leader" finally allowed it. The base seemed to consist of narrow hallways, almost no lights, and suspiciously securely locked doors. We passed the group of kids from before in front of a thick door, stowing away the weapons they'd stripped from the group of thugs.

Only a few bothered to watch me cautiously as we passed by, the others too busying retelling humorously the event that had led to the reward of those weapons. A band of kids. It seemed impossible to think that they alone had created this base and all of its security. Though I had no idea just how many kids were in this group; and for the first time I started to wonder why they were even here.

Now I was standing at the doorway of what looked like a small infirmary room, staring befuddled at a woman who stood inside. Kyuui noticed my dumbfounded expression and explained in an amused voice, "This is Ms. Claire. You won't find a better doctor out there." The woman had seemed quite surprised to see me as well, and I almost saw a reproachful look in her eyes. But she relaxed when Kyuui spoke so calmly.

"Now, Kyuui, you flatter me. It's only because all the doctors left out there care more for money than their own patients," she replied with a smile. She then looked at me, a hint of caution still linger in her brown eyes. They took on a completely different look suddenly as soon as they strayed to my shoulder. "Oh. You're hurt."

When I'd first walked in she'd looked like she wanted to back away. Now she was hurrying over to me, all signs of wariness gone, to get a better look. I was waiting for Kyuui to explain as the woman examined my bloody shoulder, but she said nothing, just watching. She'd been my voice since I met Yuji and despite it all I preferred it that way rather talking myself.

I tensed impulsively as the doctor pulled back my jacket, a hand to her chin thoughtfully as she further narrowed the tight gap between us. "It looks like you were shot," she determined easily. Kyuui nodded slowly, still smiling. I didn't know why I was suddenly getting so nervous. I hadn't had anyone this close to me in a very long time, let alone a woman.

She finally spun around and walked away. I had to resist a loud sigh as I started breathing again. "Sit down," the doctor ordered. "And do relax. I'm not going to bite you." Kyuui chuckled softly and I ignored her by obeying. I simply leaned on the closest metal bed to me, too tense to actually sit. The woman was rummaging through a few shelves lining the walls and soon came back with a needle.

"I said sit," she demanded again, pushing me back with surprising force as she came in front of me. I sat, feeling much like a bothersome kid at the doctor's. "You can leave now, Kyuui. I can handle it from here... This will help with the pain." Kyuui had walked closer as the doctor stuck the shot into my shoulder, probably wanting to see if I would wince or not.

She frowned with disappointment, opening her mouth to object. "Now, what's your name?" the doctor interrupted. It look me a moment to realize that she was speaking to me. I was happy to welcome my indifferent frown. Kyuui blinked in surprise, probably just realizing that she didn't know my name, either. The woman must have noticed I wasn't about to answer and said, "A name can't hurt you in this time of age any longer. It's not like it could help us track you down."

I scowled, wishing for a moment that she was wrong. People traveled around too much now to have any idea where one person was at any given time. It would take a lot of work to track down anyone with just there name. I still had to wait a moment before answering, wondering if I should fake a name anyway.

"Guntz," I finally admitted.

Only for a moment did the doctor's eyes turn wary again. She quickly turned to Kyuui, smiling. "There, now you can leave. I'm sure Yuji could do with come comforting. Though how you convinced him to let a stranger in, I'll never know." If she wasn't an adult herself she would've used the term "adult" for me like everyone else. Kyuui smirked. "Okay. I'll bet he's pacing around so hard there'll be a dent in the floor," she joked.

She started for the door and stopped to look at me at the doorway. "See you later!" Then she was gone. I tried to ignore my reluctance to see her leave. Now I was stuck alone with this doctor. The silence that followed Kyuui's leave was deafening. The doctor was currently gathering a few tools to begin treatment on my wound.

"The redoubtable Shinigami, eh?"

I looked over at her, relieved to have something to say despite the reluctant topic. "So you've heard of me," I said. She didn't look at me. "I've heard much about you. About how you were hired by rich men to do their dirty work… About how you would burn down a whole town… or kill a whole family if it meant getting good money in return." I didn't reply to that, looking away.

"Nothing recently, though."

"Good news."

She finally looked at me, her face intense. "Have you done anything recently?" She asked meaningfully. I couldn't blame her caution. "Business has been fleeting as of late," I joked monotonously. She simply nodded slowly, looking back to her supplies, the topic lost. I decided to finally ask the question that had been floating in my head since I got here.

"How many other adults are here?"

"I'm the only one."

I said nothing, waiting for her to explain. She waited until she came closer to me with her tools before speaking again. "They needed a medic; I needed food and shelter," she said vaguely. I could imagine that they'd have an awfully hard time finding a minor with a medical degree. "They only call me 'Ms. Claire' to express respect. I don't expect you to do the same," she added. "Why are there only kids here?" I suddenly found myself feeling much more at ease asking someone my age these questions.

"That you'll have to get Yuji to explain to you. Good luck, though. I'm astounded that he let you even see the base," she replied. She picked up a bottle and started opening it. "Take off your shirt," she ordered. I hesitated at first, but I didn't object. I knew very well that she wouldn't be able to treat my wound properly if it was covered. With a sigh I took my jacket off and pulled my shirt over my head.

When Claire turned away from her tools to look at me she almost dropped the tweezers she was holding in her hand. She stared at me for a moment before chuckling humorlessly. "They're like tattoos," she said, not bothering to spare my feelings. I could imagine the numerous scars marking my body looking a bit like ugly, scattered, pale pink tattoos that pierced the skin and came in all shapes and sizes.

"And here I was wondering why you're taking this bullet wound so easily," Claire smiled, recovered. "You're the first doctor I've seen in three years," I explained as she dabbed an ointment soaked cotton ball on my wound. I resisted an instinctive flinch to its sting. "Then allow me the honor of reminding your body what medicine feels like. You don't have to act tough. I've seen grown men cry," she remarked with a small smile.

"Wincing to a simple sting will assure a quick death out in the real world," I replied, making sure my voice wasn't tight. "Good, because it's about to get a lot worse. It looks like the bullet is still in your shoulder," the doctor informed. "Great," I sighed sarcastically. Claire then frowned. Without warning she suddenly leaned over me and I reflexively leaned back. Her face was very close my mine and I forced myself not to look away from her eyes, feeling my courage leaving me all over again.

"Are you nervous?"

I tried not to think that she was speaking seductively. "I'm trying not to be," I gulped. "Good. Because you're heartbeat isn't supposed to be that fast." She leaned up straight quickly, releasing my wrist I hadn't even noticed her grab. I sighed and for the first time took in her features as she walked back to her tools.

She certainly looked only in her early twenties like me. She was a dog, her fur pure white and somehow still clean like Yuji's had been. Her furry ears drooped at the sides of her heads limply. She had a delicate narrow muzzle and long blonde hair tied up in a bun. I was so tense that I completely overlooked the fact that she was beautiful.

Claire picked up a new pair of small tweezers, staring at them thoughtfully. "This will hurt. I could give you another shot to help numb it, but…" Her voice trailed off in indecision. "Don't waste your shots on me. I think I can take it," I assured arrogantly. "I told you there's no need to be a tough guy," she said as she walked over, though I could hear the appreciation in her voice.

"You might want to lie down."

"I'd rather not."

The last thing I wanted was this woman leaning over me again. The movement was so swift that I didn't even catch it before a pair of tweezers had suddenly been jabbed mercilessly into my shoulder, the pain only delayed by a second. I instinctively tried to pull away. The only way away was down on the metal bed. But the doctor read my movements, a hand firmly gripping my other shoulder, and went down with me.

"What the hell was that for?!" I cried out when I regained my voice. Claire was unnervingly calm. "It's deep. There's no point in torturing you by going in slowly," she justified. "But you could've missed!" The wound wasn't all that big, and she'd started the thrust a distance away so I wouldn't get suspicious. "That was a chance I was willing to take. It's not like a pair of tweezers can make a very big wound by themselves," she replied guiltlessly.

"Now hold still."

"Son of a bitch!"

I grabbed her arm as she shifted the tweezers in my wound, searching for the bullet. I stared at her eyes, trying to find that kind woman who'd been here but a moment ago. "You now, I think I changed my mind about that shot," I started. "Too late for that now," Claire responded, smiling with amusement.

"There."

I yelped as she suddenly pulled the tweezers out with a mighty tug. She stood up straight, looking triumphant. She held the tweezers up, a shiny shell clenched in the teeth, the blood dripping down to her gloved hand. "All done," she announced simply. I sighed, trying to convince myself that she wasn't lying.

"I still have to stitch it, though."

"That's nothing."

She placed the bloody tweezers down on her table of supplies and picked up a thin line of string and a tiny needle. "I'm impressed. You barely cried out at all," she chuckled softly as she came closer to lean over my wound again. "But I didn't _cry_," I replied with weak indignance. She started silently with the stitching of my wound. I barely felt the needle at all over the pain from before that was just starting to numb now.

Claire was swift and nimble with her hands, and before I knew it she was done. "All better," she assured with a sigh of completion. "That was one experience," I groaned as I sat up straight. "Hopefully one you won't have to take again any time soon," the doctor remarked, carefully cleaning off her tools. I wondered if I was lucky enough for that to be true. It didn't seem so.

"Are you still nervous?"

"No," I was happy to admit. She turned away from her supplies to take a step closer to me again. "You're pulse is still irregular," she declared with a frown, grabbing my wrist as she spoke. I was impressed. She hadn't been touching me anywhere when she'd noticed. Checking my wrist just seemed to be a confirmation.

"Perhaps I should give you a check up? Naturally it'll be free of charge." There was a genuine concern for a patient in her voice. "I'd rather not," I replied steadily. She nodded slowly—I wasn't sure if it was in understanding or just acceptance. I didn't want to know what was wrong with me. I didn't want to know what it would eventually do to me at this rate.

"Well, I'm done with you. You can leave now." I wasn't sure if she was sour about my refusal or just didn't care now that I wasn't her patient anymore, but there was a sudden unfriendly tone in her voice. I got to my feet and for the first time examined what was left of my wound. She certainly hadn't left out any details. The stitches held the tear tight together, looking as if one would have to yank them apart for them to break loose.

"Thanks. You did a good job," I complimented as I pulled on my shirt and jacket. Claire didn't reply, delaying herself with her tools. I walked over to the door, remembering the offer I'd been given to eat. "Tell that boy that I'm leaving," I bade her. At least then maybe he'd get a good night's sleep. The doctor finally turned around. "You're leaving?" She seemed genuinely surprised, as though she'd expected somehow I'd stay longer.

"Why not?"

She paused.

"Kyuui will be upset."

I paused.

"So?"

And then I left with an irritable flick in my ear. What did I care what anyone thought? I was brought here under a feeling of obligation. Now that it was given I was free to leave when I wanted. When I reached the door I'd come in threw down the hallway there was a boy leaning against the wall, half asleep. He nearly tripped to the floor in a start when he saw me.

I imagined there being someone outside the door, as well. I supposed it was a pretty good security plan, in case something happened to those outside the base—but I wasn't about to say that out loud. "I'm leaving," I told the boy firmly when he gave me a questioning stare. He said nothing, simply leaching for a similar device as outside the door and typing in a code with exaggerated swiftness. I could imagine him wanting me out as much as everyone else.

I walked out as soon as the door opened and, as expected, another boy posted outside looked at me in surprise. I simply kept going without looking back, feeling their suspicious stares burning through me. Finally one had the courage to call, "You'd better not tell this place to anyone!" I paused and flicked my ear in acknowledgement, then disappeared within one of the many narrow alleyways.

I had one thing on my mind as I quickly traveled down the long alley that led to the rest of the city: getting back to the outskirts of Volk. It was what I had been hurrying to do before and the promptness was still sticking with me. Though I felt as though something were missing from then…

Only when I'd finally met the end of the alleyway and traveled about two blocks down the road did I remember. My bag; I'd completely forgotten my bag. It had all the food and ammo I'd come all this way to buy in it. For a moment I actually considered leaving them there. I had money to spare. Fortunately I was smart enough to keep that on me at all times.

But it wasn't the food and ammo that was upsetting me. No; there was something much more valuable in that bag, as well. When I spun around to find that alleyway again I was stopped abruptly by a figure that jumped to the ground from above. Around me two other shaded figures appeared as well; probably from atop short roofs.

I stared around me, cursing myself for my luck; then my further stupidity. I'd forgotten one critical detail when I'd left that base and entered central Volk again.

_Shit._

It was nighttime.

* * *

To be perfectly honest, I never put together the fact that Claire's name is the same as Goddess Claire's... Shows how much I think when I write this stuff. I would've thrown in a little joke about it, but I couldn't find a place to fit it in. xc

Anyway, sorry for the majorly slow updates on both my stories. Haven't really been up to writing much lately... and with school starting soon it'll be even harder... Oh well, we'll just see where my motivation takes me. Also, don't take this scene between Guntz and Claire the wrong way. I'm not gonna pair him with every canine OC I make up. I just got carried away while writing this. X3


End file.
